South Africa — AI Law & Policy Updates

South Africa's Cabinet approved the withdrawal of the draft National AI Policy on June 5, 2026, after the responsible department confirmed the draft's reference list contained fictitious sources. The draft had been gazetted for comment in March 2026, and South Africa now has no enacted AI statute and no operative national AI policy, leaving businesses to assess AI systems under existing laws led by the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), supplemented by the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, Competition Act 89 of 1998 and Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002.

Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 POPIA · Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 · Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 and Competition Act 89 of 1998 — Status: No AI-specific law; the 2026 draft National AI Policy was withdrawn South Africa has no enacted AI statute and no operative national AI policy. A draft National AI Policy was gazetted for comment in March 2026, but the responsible department withdrew it after confirming that its reference list contained fictitious sources; Cabinet approved the withdrawal on June 5, 2026 so the policy could be reworked. Businesses must therefore assess AI systems under the laws already in force, led by POPIA for personal data and supplemented by consumer, competition and electronic-transactions law. The withdrawn draft is recorded as history, not counted as law or guidance in force.